Breaking Point
by kittykatwriter
Summary: This is a Post S5 story set in our future, the world has reached its breaking point and its finally time for the once and future king to return.


Hey guys, this is only my second story on here. Some helpful criticism would be nice but no absolute flames? Some pointers would be good though so that I can try to improve my writing :) PLEASE R&amp;R THANK YOU

After Arthur had died at the lake of Avalon, the dragon spoke to Merlin consoling him, "Though no man, no matter how great, can know his destiny, some lives have been foretold, Merlin...Arthur is not just a King-he is the Once and Future King. Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again. It has been a privilege to have known you, young warlock-the story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men." All that Merlin could think was that.. Arthur would return one day, when the world needed him most.

Somehow time and life managed to carry on without the prat of a prince, Merlin stopped aging, he never grew old. He watched as everyone around him got wrinkles and got more and more feeble with age, while he watched on, staying the same. He watched everyone he knew and love grow old and pass on to the next life, sometimes when he was feeling particularly alone he wished he could follow them out of this existence and into the next, then he would remind himself of his other half, Arthur. He had to carry on for Arthur because lord knows that the clotpole was useless without him. Eventually he left Camelot and spent time on the isle of the blessed learning and studying magic, he eventually did reach his full potential as "The most powerful warlock to ever live." He prepared for the years to come to persevere until Arthur would rise again. He could do spells that sorcerers could only imagine without speaking a single word, if he didn't have a spell for something, he made one, his magic was never ending, it was bottomless, for he was magic in its most pure form.

He watched great kingdoms and nations rise and fall. People who were no one's become someone, everyone influencing and contributing to the world, the evolution of man his to witness. He could never stay in the same place for long, while his mind and power matured, his face and body did not change as others did, he would move place to place always watching from the background. However he would always return to the Lake of Avalon on the anniversary of Arthur's death, always hoping to see the outline of his master, his friend rising out of the water.

Merlin lived through and watched each war pass, never interfering it was not his place, no matter how much he would have liked to, he held himself back no one could know who he was. When they reached World War 2 he saw the horrors everywhere he turned, thought that it had to be when Arthur would return, he went back to the lake many times during this time, but never found the blonde. He couldn't help but fear for the Earth wondering what could be worse than the horrendous crimes that humanity was committing against itself, how could people be so heartless? He couldn't understand it, even when he was fighting sorcerers back when Arthur was alive he could understand their intent, their motives, why they did such things, but he could not understand the people of this time. Eventually the world ended like all the others before it, and time continued to crawl along always closer to the time that Arthur would rise again.

~~break~~

Over the years people continued to advance over time, new inventions new ideas new concepts from all different people. Until there was a time much like the Dark Ages from before. It started when a man came to power, he was crazy, an absolute fruit loop, he thought that man was trying to surpass god. He made it his personal mission to destroy any and all technology and books anything that made it possible for people to fight back, this obviously threw us into a dark age we lost most everything we had ever gathered or discovered as a people great works of art and stories books inventions creations; everything destroyed reduced to nothing but rubble. A massive decline in technology, in inventions, in the quality of life. It went so far as to lose most computers, cell phones, guns were few and far in between. You could count how many there were in the world at this point. Life simplified people switched to knives and swords again. "Just like the good old days," Merlin couldn't help but think to himself he never liked guns they were unnatural.

The land became segregated; rich from the poor. It evolved to absolute tyranny, the rich would pick on the poor taking things away from them, even going so far as to slaughter groups of them coming at them on horseback they watched on as they rode through old unusable cars, and sky scrapers towering over head. There was nothing that the people could do to defend themselves.

Merlin continued to watch on from the side lines as the world reverted back considerably similar to how he remembered it to be in the time that Camelot ruled. He had seen so many things change the world around him had been unrecognizable but yet the people still somehow stayed constant continuing to persevere through their lives, now the world was changing back, Merlin became more and more relaxed despite the utter chaos that surrounded him because if he was honest about it, it kind of reminded him of home.

Anyone who rebelled against the ones in power was burned or hanged, they had no chance, and the man who came to power ironically named Salem the same town where they had the massive witch burnings, made sure of that he had many people convinced that he was right. He was very persuasive he was one of those people you couldn't help but listen to. Merlin couldn't blame the people for listening him, if Merlin didn't know better than he would have too.

While most all more advanced technology, books, and higher weapons were pretty much eradicated or destroyed, or just unavailable, a few gangs did still have some access to them no matter how slight. They sometimes had a few weapons; guns, though their bullets were limited, sometimes they even had a bomb. They were on no one's side, they took out as many people as they could; poor or rich it made no difference. It was one of these times that Merlin was out in the city, he didn't often go but he needed food. When suddenly the sirens started to sound (for they had a very minimal amount of electricity here and there but it was very simple) scaring Merlin nearly out of his skin. The sirens meant that there was danger in the area most likely some form of bomb because they were much more detectable which meant that all he could do was run and hope to get far enough away to escape. Merlin had only been in a city while there was a bomb threat before and then he was on the outskirts and hadn't stayed, this time he was farther in the city he wasn't sure if he could get out in time. He was a lot fitter and more athletic then he used to be at this point it was necessary for survival, but he didn't even know which way to run. He picked a direction and started running as fast as he could taking side street to avoid the panicking crowds that would slow him down. He was breathing heavily sweat causing his clothes to his body, his original reason for being in the city completely forgotten, all he knew was that he had to run, he had to get out. He couldn't die here not after all these years of waiting he had to keep going. He was almost out of the city he could see the open fields in the distance, slowly he started closing in, when there was a sound louder than any he had ever experienced, he thought it would rupture his ear drums, it continued he saw the light behind him he continued to run as fast as he could, he was almost out he had seconds at most, he put on an extra burst of speed and was at the entrance to the city. The bomb could still be heard and seen behind him, rubble flying through the air. He had escaped the initial bomb but the rubble coming towards him was just as dangerous, he tried to summon his magic, but he couldn't focus it felt as if it had left him burying itself deep inside him to hide itself from the bomb too.

He kept running, when suddenly, he was hit, some of the debris had slammed into him from behind! His body fell forwards hitting the ground in front of him, sliding forwards both from his momentum and from the impact from the object that had hit him, which turned out to be a bit of railing from a building which had lodged itself partially in his shoulder and scraped his side which was bleeding. He swore as he hit the ground, at least it wasn't stuck in his stomach this way none of his major organs where in any danger just his shoulder, which was hurting, a lot. He cast a small healing spell over his side to stop the bleeding but his shoulder was a bit much and he couldn't focus enough to fix it right now, he also knew that he couldn't take the bit of railing out of his shoulder because it would open the wound which would definitely cause him to bleed out.

He slowly moved into a kneeling position so that he could take a look at his surroundings, from what he saw he wasn't in any immediate danger the debris had stopped falling for the most part. He held the railing in his shoulder trying to stop it from shifting, and tried to stand and was able to sort of he was very hunched over and limping from his hip getting injured. He looked around for something that could be used as a walking stick, he spotted a piece of wood that was about the right height a couple feet away and started to slowly take a step. He growled out when it caused the piece of metal to shift in his shoulder, swearing softly he took another step, slowly making his way to the piece of wood. When he reached it he slowly bent down hissing as he had to move his shoulder and grabbed it propping it under his good arm in order to be able to continue to walk. He wasn't that far from his house at this point he unlike most people lived out in the fields and rural areas between the cities, most people didn't take the chance, animals ran wild out there and often attacked anyone who strayed to far from the city. Merlin however had a certain way with animals they didn't all accept him but they didn't bother him or attack him either.

He slowly made his way through the weeds that grew in the fields that where once farm land, he had a small field near his house, which is where he got most of his food but sometimes it wasn't enough which was why he had gone to the city in the first place. He slowly worked his way toward the trees he lived a little ways in, inside of a small cottage in a clearing by a nice little stream, an almost unbelievable place to find in such a broken world. He came to the clearing stumbling up to his house and went inside. He had some emergence medical supplies in case something like this happened. He went around to the shelves and cabinets collecting what he would need along with an old flask he had, it was originally Gwains he had used his magic to preserve it all this time. He removed his shirt careful to not jostle the injury more than absolutely necessary cutting it away from his shoulder. He took a swig from the flask, letting the alcohol slide down his throat hoping it will help to dull the pain. He took a deep breath and bit own on a piece of leather as he wrenched the railing out of his shoulder, groaning loudly and panting he placed it aside. His teeth were firmly embedded in the leather he removed it and took another swig from the flask. He slowly cleaned the wound and put some herbs on it, along with some white sterile bandages. He couldn't help but miss his old mentor Gaius, he would never be quite as good at this as him. He used a bit of magic to help speed up the recovery, he realized a while ago that using magic to heal a wound completely didn't work very well and that it often didn't heal correctly when magic was used as the sole healing factor, but using magic to speed it up didn't seem to have any negative effects.

He proceeded to clean and wrap his side. When he was finished he slowly got up and placed his supplies back where they belonged and walked over to his bed slowly laying down on his uninjured side. He looked out into his small cottage, he glanced at the candle and caused it to flicker out. However he continued to stare out into the black. The world was constantly declining it had never quite gone to this extent before even during the Dark Ages, was this the right time for Arthur to rise? Would he finally return? Was this the time of great need that Kilgharrah had been talking about? It was decided he would return again to the Lake of Avalon and see if Arthur was there. He tried not to get his hopes up but if this really was the time of great need then what is there that Arthur could hope to accomplish? Was there really a way out of so deep and wide spread depression?

Merlin barely slept the rest of the night.

I'm not actually certain whether or not I'm going to continue this story or not... I could very well leave it here depends on the reviews I get and how I feel about it. If I do add to it then it will either become a 2 shot or a multichapter fic.

THANKS FOR READING PLEASE REVIEW!


End file.
